China's immigration authorities have announced that they will resume receiving applications for passports for the purpose of tourism and visits abroad starting January 8.

The Chinese government on Monday revealed plans to ease cross-border restrictions and to resume overseas visits in an orderly manner, in line with the international infection situation.

Chinese media reported that, immediately following the government's announcement, access to major online travel sites for bookings to popular destinations, including Japan and Thailand, soared ten-fold.

On the other hand, Beijing has banned such agencies from accepting bookings of group tours and providing sales of package tours. It also has called on individuals to refrain from traveling overseas.

The government has not indicated a specific time frame for lifting these restrictions.

The surge in the spread of coronavirus infections in the country has also prompted Japanese and Taiwanese authorities to step up their controls on travelers from China.

It is unclear whether the number of Chinese traveling abroad will recover to pre-pandemic levels soon.